


Tides

by redstringraven (sirimiri)



Series: Titans [3]
Category: DC Animated Universe (Timmverse), Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Beaches, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Pre-Betrayal, Secrets, Sunsets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 09:09:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16134128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sirimiri/pseuds/redstringraven
Summary: Tara’s laugh rang out just behind him. He could hear the padding of her bare feet on the sand, the occasional splash as she rushed through stray waves. The sky, the ocean, the beach, were all bathed in rich golden light from the soon setting sun. It made the dunes glow and the pockets of water trapped between them sparkle. He was sure that if he glanced over his shoulder, back at her, that there would be a ring of light around her head of hair. Her powers would have nothing to do with it.





	Tides

**Author's Note:**

> a semi-late submission for [BeastBoyAppreciationWeek](https://beastboyappreciationweek.tumblr.com)! wish i could have done more, but my plate's been pretty dang full these past couple months. thanks for clicking in, and i hope you enjoy!!
> 
> as usual with most of my one-shots, this is also in the same canon as [_Guide to Getting Lost_](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12753732) but neither are required reading for the other. more like extra content, i guess.

He hadn’t seen an ocean or walked on a beach until he was twelve.

It’d been an experience he knew he’d never forget, even if he wanted to. He could remember the feeling of his jaw going slack, his forehead aching as his eyes got impossibly wide. The warm breeze ghosting across his skin, through his hair, and the ever constant roll of foam and waves. The water went on and on forever until it met with the equally endless sky on the horizon. The longer you stare, the more they seemed to merge. You lost sight of where one ended, and the other began. It’d been beautiful, fantastic and wonder-filled. And it’d also been terrifying. The idea that… something could just go on forever like that. That you’d never quite find or reach its end.

With time, he’d grown to love and respect it just as he had with every new environment. It became less frightening and more a realm of endless exploration and possibilities. There was always something new to discover. Always a new nook or crevice to poke around in. Always an animal to watch or even entertain, if they’d have him. A pod of dolphins frequented the area, and once he’d even befriended a migrating humpback whale as she passed through their California waters. He wished he’d had his phone with him that day. Pictures or not, however, it’d been an afternoon he’d hold close for a long time.

Running down the beach, now, Gar could feel that familiar swell of adventure blossoming in his chest. Excitement--eagerness and curiosity--bubbled out in his laughter as he rounded a small pile of rocks and skidded a short way down a sand dune. His joy was even more pronounced today because he wasn’t alone. He got to share whatever discoveries he made with someone else.

Tara’s laugh rang out just behind him. He could hear the padding of her bare feet on the sand, the occasional splash as she rushed through stray waves. The sky, the ocean, the beach, were all bathed in rich golden light from the setting sun. It made the dunes glow and the pockets of water trapped between them sparkle. He was sure that if he glanced over his shoulder, back at her, that there would be a ring of light around her head of hair. Her powers would have nothing to do with it.

“Come on!!!” He called, cheeks warming from both the sprint and the thought of her. “I thought you said you were gonna beat me!!”

“I _DID_!” Tara yelled back through another laugh. “And I **AM**.”

The sand under his feet shifted, swept to one side. Gar yelped as he dropped forward, hands thrown up to block the grains spraying into his face. He sputtered and coughed as he rolled through the fall, sitting up just as she flew past him. He stares after her, momentarily lost to the shock of the trick and flicker of pride and wonder. That tiny, but precise, slip of the sand showed just how far she’d come since the night they’d talked. And even as he stumbled back to his feet, cackled out a shrill “NO FAIR!!” in her wake, he couldn’t be happier to lose to her.

Tara laughs again, throwing her arms in the air as she crosses the established finish line. He dashes through it seconds later, soon collapsing into a fit of his own nonsensical laughter. There’s a few whoops shared between them. A fist pump or two. Then silence as they take a moment to catch their breath.

Gar sits up in the sand, draping his arms over his knees as he flashes her a wide, toothy grin. “You’re a dirty cheater.”

“Aw, c’mon!” Tara chuckles, puffing some of her hair out of her eyes. She returns his grin with a lopsided smirk and plants her hands on her hips. “If _you’d_ been the one pulling tricks, you woulda called it ‘being resourceful.’”

He points at her, opens his mouth to argue back. “...” Then shrugs, dropping his hand. “Y’got me there.”

They laugh again.

Tara shakes her head as she approaches him. She bends at the waist and offers him a hand, and he accepts.

“So,” she starts, grunting as she leans back and gives him a tug to his feet. “You promised me tide pools.”

“I sure did!” He says, ears raising. He takes a quick moment to dust off his bare legs and shorts. “And I aim to deliver. C’mon!”

Before she has the chance to get a head start, he bounds forward through the sand. They weren’t racing anymore. The excitement that’d been building in his chest throughout the day was merely beginning to get too much for him to tolerate. He was also starting to get a little nervous, too. Irrational as it may be, the idea that they wouldn’t have a good haul had begun to trickle into the back of his mind, slowly and steadily filling his thoughts and making him worry that yes, they’d find tide pools. Empty tide pools. Or maybe just seaweed.

This concern was soon quelled, however, as he skidded over a large dune.

Dotted along the beach spread before him, the slow lapping waves had left behind patches of sparkling puddles and pools, each glistening like shards of glass littered in the sand. A spike of energy all but consumed him, and he turned as she reached his side, pointing out across the beach.

“See?!”

Tara swept a hand across her face, framing her bright smile with the loose strands of her hair. The sunlight caught it perfectly, and he felt the butterflies in his stomach and chest flutter anew. Gar presses his lips together in an attempt to hide his growing, sheepish smile, and he’s quick to face forward again before she speaks up.

“Gar!! It’s beautiful!”

He ducks his head, starting to pocket his hands before just propping them on his hips. “I, uh. --I mean, you’ve probably seen other tide pool beaches before with all your traveling and stuff, but. Figured you might wanna add this one to your list.”

“Of _course_ I do!” She grabbed one of his wrists, darting down the sand dune and dragging him with her. “Come on! Let’s check them out!”

Gar squeaked as he stumbled forward, reflexively twisting his wrist enough to grip her arm in return. It wasn’t lost on him that they were basically holding hands at this point, and he felt his cheeks warm. He almost didn’t notice as she slid to a stop and began to kneel before the first tide pool.

Tara’s eyes scan the small section of water, her wide smile shrinking a little as it dawns on her that this one seems to be empty. Gar leans a little closer, raising his ears and squinting into the pool. Sure enough, there’s not much movement. Just the occasional ripple brought on by the ocean breeze, or a trick of the light when the surface catches the sun. He quickly looks up again, his bright smile maintained. “It usually takes a while to find something. Don’t worry! That’s part of the fun.”

She looked up. A second or so passed before she mirrored his smile and nodded, chuckling. “Guess it is kind of unfair to expect a cool animal to get trapped.”

He arched a brow. “ _Yeah_ , kinda.”

She cuffed his shoulder, snorting. “Shut up!”

Gar laughed, pushing off his knees to stand again. “You said it! Not me!”

Tara stood with him, and they split up in unspoken agreement. Gar ran a little further up the beach, ears raised as he peered into each tide pool he passed. There were so many, and it quickly started to get a little hard to keep track of which ones he’d already checked. Gar huffed to himself, slowing as he craned his head to get a better look at the beach. No sooner had he done this did his ear swivel, catching a gasp.

“--Gar!! I found something!”

He whipped around, eyes scanning the beach before they found her. Gar grinned and darted forward. He slowed to a jog just before reaching her and dropping into a kneel beside her, leaning down to get a better look at the contents of the pool she’d discovered. Sure enough, the surface of the water glittered, but it wasn’t just due to the sun’s reflection. A tiny group of fish zipped about, their silvery scales flashing under the touch of light. While it wasn’t one of the most unusual of discoveries, it was pretty cool.

“Aw, look at’em go!” Gar said, his grin softening to a smile. “Poor lil dudes. --They might make it through the night, though, if some gulls don’t find ‘em before sunset.”

“Should we make a bowl and get them back to the ocean?” Tara asked, looking up at him. Her smile had disappeared, now turned downward in an expression of worry. Gar blinked at her before his own smile faded.

“Um. ...no. It’d be best if we left them alone.”

She didn’t look convinced. Her brows knitted together, and she tilted her chin down. “Even if they could get eaten? I mean. They’re trapped here. They can’t do anything until the tide comes back in.”

“I know.” Gar’s frown weakened. “But, um. Stuff like this is supposed to happen sometimes.”

“... _supposed_ to happen?”

“--like. Y’know. Predators gotta hunt not just to eat, but it keeps the prey from getting crazy over-populated and eating everything and wrecking the environment,” he said, shrugging. “For all we know, these lil guys could be part of… a reef mafia. Up to no good.”

One of Tara’s brows rose slowly, and he could see the corner of her lips curling into a smirk. “...a _reef mafia_.”

“Uuuuh. Do you have a better idea? ‘Cuz I’m not hearing it.”

Tara snorted, planting one hand against the side of his face and shoving. Gar let himself tip over with a squeak, rolling into the sand as she stood back up.

“Reef _ninjas_ ,” she said, holding out her arms in a careless shrug. Then she turned and jogged a small distance down the beach. Gar sat up, huffing and smirking a little as he pushed himself back to his feet. He dusted the sand off his shorts, kicked a bit from the hairs on his legs, and jogged after her.

They made it a couple yards down the beachside before Tara waved him to another tide pool, and they ducked close. At first glance, it appeared that it might be empty, but Gar quickly caught sight of what had caught her attention. There was a medium sized starfish creeping its way across the bottom of the pool, just beneath a few rocks and other barriers. Gar’s smile widened, and he crouched a little lower to get a better look.

“ _Cooooool_ ,” he breathed. Tara lowered beside him, sweeping her hair over one shoulder. He could smell tiny traces of pomegranate speckling the much sharper salt of the ocean breeze; the scent of her shampoo. He looked down to the starfish but found himself immediately distracted. Their hands were close, planted beneath them in the sand. All he’d have to do was shift one of his an inch or two, and their pinkies and ring fingers would overlap. Gar forced his eyes up to the pool, exhaling through his nose. “Yooou know what kinda starfish that is?”

“Not a clue,” Tara said, chuckling. “I’ll bet you do, Dr. Dolittle.”

“I’ll decide if that’s an insult later. But, uuuuuh, if I had to guess, I think we got ourselves a leather star.”

“... _leather_ star.”

Gar huffed, raising one ear and leveling out the other. “Hey, I don’t name them.”

“I know. Guess I just… don’t really get why. It doesn’t look like most leather I’ve seen.”

“Yeah,” Gar said, nodding. “It is real pretty, though.”

“Can’t argue that. ... _if_ you **had** named it, what would you have called it?”

Gar looked up at her, blinking once. He opened his mouth, closed it, his brows wrinkling together. “Wh… --wait, really?”

“Yeah!” Tara grinned widely, letting herself drop back to sit in the sand. She looked down, watching her toes wiggle in the sand, and shrugged. “I’m curious.”

“I, uh. I usually suck at naming things.”

“Try!”

“Why? So you can laugh at how lame it is?”

“I won’t laugh.”

Gar squinted, eyeing her in mock suspicion. “ _Really_.”

“ **Really**.”

“Pinky swear.”

Tara’s head tilted back as she laughed, but she shifted her weight to hold up one hand, her pinky extended. “Okay, okay. _Pinky swear_.”

Gar smirked, leaning forward and hooking his pinky around hers. They both gave their hands a small shake to emphasize that the contract was sealed before dropping their arms, sinking back into place. Gar rolled his jaw, turning his eyes skyward to watch the clouds drift through the sky. There were two routes he could take, and the natural trickster in him knew exactly which one he wanted to take. He lowered his eyes, his smirk slanting into a crooked little grin.

“I think I’d call it… _the booger star_.”

Tara stared at him. Her expression deadpan. “... the… the booger star.”

“Yeah,” Gar breathed smoothly, half-lidding his eyes and nodding. “'Cuz it's that off yellow. And. If you sneeze around it? You get good luck for the rest of the day.”

She blinked. Her cheek and corner of her eye twitched.

Gar’s smirk slowly widened as she cleared her throat. “You promised you wouldn’t laugh.”

“You’re a je-jerk, you know that?” She huffed, giving her head a sharp shake. Some of her hair spilled over her face, and she let it hang there. Gar leaned forward, pointing a finger toward her chin.

“You’re _smiling_.”

“Am not.”

“--dude, you’re totally smiling!”

“ **Shut up!** ”

The words burst out of her in a laugh, and she let out a frustrated sound as she swiped her hand through the sand. He leaned back, shielding his eyes and face as a laugh of his own bubbled up his throat. When he lowered his arm, she’d gotten a head start down the beach, the air still filled with her unbridled laughter. Gar smiled, scrambling onto his own feet and launching after her.

They tore down the beach. Tara squeaked as she sprang over some driftwood, and Gar bounded over it with ease. She was just as quick, if not a little quicker than he was. That could be changed. A bit too easily, maybe, and that just took the fun out of it. Gar sprinted on on his own two human legs, snagging extra breaths between pockets of laughter and the occasional snort. He had no idea where they were going, how long they were going to keep this up, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t tired. Weren’t being waited on. Weren’t under pressure or having to worry about anyone else. They were just… air.

He was so caught up in a rush--the blend of ocean waves rolling across the sand, the golden sunlight, the feel of the air on his face--that he almost didn’t notice she’d slid to a stop. Gar sucked in a breath, throwing his weight back and digging his heels into the sand. He skidded a moment, wincing briefly as a bit of shell or stone clipped the underside of his toes. He glanced at her, realizing she was looking up the beach toward the rocks, then tried to follow her gaze. “What? … what is it?”

“Check it out,” she muttered, starting forward. Gar blinked, falling into step beside her.

“Uh?”

She pointed up the beach, and he saw it. A jagged section of the stone was extensive-- more significant than a simple crack. He could see the faint blues of reflected ripples dancing across the shadows, and his ears lifted. Tara’s pace picked up to a jog, and she leaned a little mid-step to crane her head. “Is that a cave?”

“It looks like it!” Gar said, speeding up. He moved ahead of her, hopping onto, then off of, a rock between them and the crevice. As he got closer, he noticed a stream of water trickled into it, still linked to the ocean. Ears swiveling, alert for any sound or sign to warn him of unseen danger, he stepped to the mouth of it. Gar pressed one hand on the cave’s threshold, leaning as he peered inside. “... whoa. It’s… like a little cave-cove kinda thing.”

“For real!?”

Tara stepped to his side. He turned his head, smiling a little as he saw how bright her expression had become.

“Yeah! It, uh, looks like it doesn’t go that deep, but--”

“--let’s check it out!”

Gar straightened. “Really?”

“ _Uh._ Yeah!” She reached out and took his free hand. “Come on!”

She pulled him in before he had the chance to protest. Though, truthfully, he wouldn’t have.

Gar swallowed a little, letting his fingers curl, hesitantly, around her own. Neither of them was wearing gloves. Her hands felt rough, and every couple of steps, as they’d readjust their grips, he could feel tiny grooves from old cuts, scars, and calluses. Her powers didn’t always come with the smoothest material, and her gloves couldn’t always protect her from a jagged edge or two when she needed a quick hold. But she never flinched. Never complained or drew attention to self-inflicted injuries.

Kori was usually the one to notice them, tend to them. ...he’d admit to being a little jealous sometimes as he watched from the sidelines. They got along so well, and he’d seen a bit more color fill Kori’s cheeks when Tara would make her laugh. There was no questioning that Kori was outstanding. Beautiful, inside and out. Quite literally like no one else on the planet. But… he was glad Tara had that. Had another person she felt safe, felt comfortable and happy around--someone who could bring a smile to her face even in the gloomiest of times. It’d be pretty crummy if it were just him.

His fingers tightened a little more around hers--just for a second--before he realized what he was doing. Gar rolled his lips together, keeping his gaze ahead as they wandered further through the dark sand, guided only by the dim reflection of trapped light bouncing off the water.

It didn’t take long at all to reach the back of the cove. There wasn’t anything too exciting there, either. Disappointed, they made their way back toward the mouth. About halfway there, Tara slowed. She tugged Gar into the ankle-deep water and sighed, sinking to sit on one of the three rocks poking out of the water’s surface. Gar tilted his head as he lowered beside her, frowning a little.

“You okay?”

She nodded, quickly turning her head to smile at him. “Yeah! I’m great. I just…” She turned her attention forward. “I just wanted to watch the sunset from in here. That cool?”

“Oh!! Yeah! ‘Course!”

Gar curled up, wrapping his arms around his knees.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, eyes forward, Gar bundled up and Tara resting back on her palms, legs extended into the water before her. It lapped around her bare feet and legs, and the hiss of the ocean echoed through the cavern. Gar watched idly as the remaining sunlight speckled the outside waves, watched the soft, glowing teals and blues ripple over the cave walls. It was almost hypnotizing. He could feel his muscles relaxing, and a sense of calm filled the air around them. And he shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t. But… carefully, he slants his gaze. Turns his head just enough to look at her.

Every one of her features is tinted in an airy, unreal blue. Her eyes, already bright and blue as a clear summer sky, seem almost otherworldly. Her tanned skin--the pale honey-gold of her hair--was a gentle contrast on the cove’s cooler tones. Gar felt his cheeks warm, and a small spike of heat run through his skin, and he turned his head to look forward again. He took a steady breath in, then let it out through his lips in a silent gust.

He lost track of time after that. Just that the sun sat on the horizon, now. Even though only half of it was visible, the ocean’s reflection made it look whole. An orange-red disc illuminated by gold, purples, and clouds airbrushed with pink. The cave’s mouth served as an uneven window, giving it a black ‘border’ of sorts. He wished he could pause things. Right here. When the world was this beautiful, this peaceful. With the sunset and the endless ocean ahead of them, and the two of them here, alone, hidden away from anything that could hurt them, staring into forever.

“... I love it out here.”

Her voice almost made him jump, even if it was barely spoken above the churning of the water around them. Gar smiled, nodding.

“Yeah. It’s really nice to just sit back and watch things… y’know. Do their thing.”

“Yeah.”

…

“I bet you saw a lot of really cool things before you came here,” Gar said. He turned his head, smile widening a bit more as he looked at her. “Gotta admit, I’m a little jealous.”

She didn’t look at him. Her smile was small. “... yeah. I saw a lot of stuff. Mountains. Valleys. Foggy lakes, spooky woods, one or two caves I probably shouldn’t have wandered into.” She chuckled. “This isn’t my first ocean, but… it sure is a pretty one. Maybe a little cold.”

“ _Whoa_ ,” he breathed, turning his eyes forward. The sun had almost disappeared beneath the ocean surface. A deep, almost violet blue filled the sky, fading to an inky and star-speckled black as it spread further from the horizon’s glow. “That’s so cool. ...and, now, you’re here! You don’t gotta sleep in those sketchy caves anymore, or, y’know. Be alone and stuff. I know things were, a. Kinda rocky at first--heh! _Pun_.--but… we’re all really happy you’re back.”

…

When a few seconds of silence passed, his smile faded. Gar turned his head.

Tara stared forward. Her expression somehow seemed dimmer than before, and it wasn’t due to the lack of light or color in the cove. She was still there--beside him--but she wasn’t… there. Worry seeped into his stomach, and he sat up a little straighter. “... Tara?”

She startled, then blinked in his direction. “Huh? What?”

“Are, uh. Are you okay?” He asked, frowning softly. “You kinda spaced for a sec. Where’d you go?”

“... --oh. Yeah! Sorry.” She laughed, shoulders lifting in a lackluster shrug. “I thought the tide was coming back in or something. Must have been a trick of the light. But--uh!--we should probably scram before this gets dangerous, y’know? Trust me. Underwater caves are real scary.”

She pushed to her feet, starting toward the cave entrance at a light jog. Gar stared after her, his stomach withering and sinking. He absently got to his feet and jogged after her, his heart skipping a beat when she exited the cave and didn’t slow or look back at him.

Oh no… --had he said something wrong? --Had he been too obvious? Too forward? --Cripes, what had he said? He was so bad at this. Gar swallowed hard, speeding his steps, so he ducked out of the cove and ran to her side.

“--Tara, wait!”

His voice was weaker than he would have liked, but she slowed to a stop and turned to face him. The sea breeze knocked her hair into her face, and she quickly reached up to guide it behind her ear. “What is it, Gar?”

“I…” He pursed his lips, gnawing into the upper with the tip of his fang. Then he huffed, dropping his arms as his gaze sank to the sand at his feet. “Did I say something stupid? --I’m… --I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… --if you don’t want to stay at the Tower--or--if you, y’know, _LIKE_ sleeping in sketchy caves--or normal caves!!--that’s totally cool, it’s not weird, I just--”

“Gar.”

He looked up. She was smiling again, even chuckling faintly.

“You didn’t say anything stupid. Really. I, uh. --ugh.” Tara looked away, rubbing her arm. “... I guess I have a bit of a confession.”

Gar blinked, his ears lifting. A cold wave of anxiety twisted his stomach. “You… do?”

She was quiet for a long moment, then she sighed, laughing sheepishly for the last few seconds of it. “I, uh. Much as I like the ocean, I’ll admit it kinda gives me the creeps at night. It gets all black and… --there’re sharks and stuff that you can’t see. I’m a girl who likes her feet on the ground, y’know? Not in a bottomless abyss.”

Tara looked up at him, smiling lopsidedly. Relief settled over him, and he felt his shoulders actually sink. It must haven’t been a clear signal, because her smile shrank and her sheepishness gave way to something else. “... sorry.”

“Huh?” Gar stiffened. He quickly raised his hands, shaking them a little. “--no! Dude, no, heh! I totally get it! It is pretty spooky. And you were right about the cave, too. Woulda sucked to get stuck in there if the water started, y’know. Going up. I kinda like breathing.”

“Same,” she snorted, brushing a few wandering wisps of hair out of her eyes. “It’s pretty cool.”

“Sure is. _Darn good oxygen_ , heh!”

They stood in silence.

Gar inhaled, practically swallowing the air down as he nodded his head once and began to turn away. “--anyway, um. We should… probably get back home. Don’t wanna step on a jelly out here or anything. --think Vic said something about a real sweet dinner, too, so, I bet he’s cranky we’re not there to sing his praises. And Kori--”

“--Gar?”

He spun around. “--Yeah?”

Tara stood a moment longer, then took a step forward. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, holding him in a warm hug. He stood stiff as a board, eyes a little wide, breath halted, heart beating wildly. He prayed to whatever entity would listen that she wouldn’t feel it in her own ribs.

“Thank you,” she muttered quietly, just loud enough for him to hear above the rush of ocean air. “I know we didn’t find much, but I had a lot of fun. This was really nice. And I’m sorry I rushed out like that. It was pretty stupid, huh?”

“It wasn’t stupid,” he said, maybe a bit too quickly. He didn’t know if he should hug her back or keep space between them. “I don’t want ya to be scared. --I’m--I’m glad you had fun, though! We’ll find more stuff next time. It’s always kinda a lottery with these things.”

A second passed, and she pulled away. She was still smiling. The blue of the cavern and the night sky still lingered in her features, and her eyes glistened. “Yeah. --Yeah! That sounds good. Maybe we can have a sand dollar scavenger hunt. First to three wins?”

“Oh. You’re _so_ on,” Gar said. He managed a grin as he pointed at her, waggling his brows. “Gotta warn you, though. I’m pretty hard to beat.”

She stared at him. Her smile softened, and she chuckled. “Wouldn’t have thought otherwise, Gar.”

He echoed her chuckle, quickly turning forward and starting toward the Tower, hoping he’d been fast enough to hide the blush he could feel blossoming across his cheeks. “Good!! --now c’mon! I’m not in the mood to listen to Vic gripe about how his slaving over a hot stove or whatever got cold while we were goofing around!”

Gar kicked into a jog, and he could hear the sand shifting behind him as Tara followed suit. He huffed a small breath, and he nodded to himself.

So, the evening had been successful after all. Good. They’d found a tiny school of fish. A starfish. A really neat cove that, as far as he knew, they were the only ones who knew about it. It was theirs. And that was really cool. It was a good evening… a great one, actually.

Next time would be even better.


End file.
